In the last blog post, I talked about why you should tell stories instead of trying to sell your book, product, programs, and/or services. But, it’s not enough to tell a story, you have to connect with your audience emotionally. They have to not only hear what you went through but how you FELT about what you went through.
They have to feel your pain. If people don’t feel your pain, they won’t be pulled into your story and your world.
Keep this in mind when you’re telling your story. Don’t just tell what happened, tell what happened and how you felt about what happened, how it affected you.
Once I learned how to tell my story, I realized that I was rushing through the chronology of my story without revealing much about how I felt about anything that had happened, or at least very little.
This is very common. And the reason is because it can be scary to be vulnerable, to share our feelings, especially if you grew up in a family that negated your feelings like mine did. I learned very early on to hide my feelings and to stuff them, and it took a lot of therapy to finally learn to feel my feelings, let alone share them. So, I get it if this is difficult for you.
But, telling your story, is the key to success in “selling”.
People want to know you, like you and trust you before they buy from you. They want to know that you feel their pain, that you understand what they are going through and that since you overcame it they can too.
And the good news is that there is a very easy way to understand how to tell your story and share what you went through. It’s called The Spine Story.
You can learn about The Spine Story at: http://improvencyclopedia.org/games/Story_Spine.html
But, don’t expect to tell your story or stories perfectly out of the gate. It takes time to become a great storyteller. I’m still working at it and I’ve been doing this for 15+ years!
And if you’re scared, start small. Share with people you feel safe with. Get feedback. Keep working on your delivery. And surround yourself with a supportive group of people who will be there for you when you need some extra TLC, because the truth is not everyone will appreciate what you have to say and you have to learn to ignore them.
Keep telling your stories and you’ll ultimately attract your ideal clients and have the business you deserve helping the people who want what you have to offer.
If you need help developing your story, let’s talk. To get started go to www.booksopendoors.com/questionnaire, fill it out then we can set up a time for a complimentary Bestseller Breakthrough Consultation to work on your story and how you can use it to write a book.
Ellen Violette helps busy creative visionaries, leaders and change-makers, write, publish, launch to #1 bestseller, and market their book to get more clients, make more money, make a bigger impact, and leave a legacy.
She is an award-winning book and business coach, podcast host, CEO of Create a Splash Marketing & Grammy-nominated songwriter.
